CAPE TOWN, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's parliamentary impeachment committee said on Thursday it would oppose President Cyril Ramaphosa's urgent court application seeking to stop an impeachment inquiry linked to the Phala Phala case.
In a statement, the Impeachment Committee said it had resolved to oppose Ramaphosa's application for an interdict and would ask National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza to join the committee in opposing the president's bid.
The committee noted that Ramaphosa's urgent application, launched on June 12, seeks to prevent the committee from proceeding with the impeachment inquiry. The matter is scheduled to be heard in the Western Cape High Court on July 15 and 16.
According to the statement, the obligation to proceed with the inquiry stems from an order of the Constitutional Court, while Ramaphosa's urgent application for an interdict will be heard by the Western Cape High Court.
"The courts will determine the legal implications of that distinction. Until a court grants an order directing otherwise, the committee remains bound by the Constitutional Court order and will continue to discharge its responsibilities diligently and without delay," the statement said.
The committee added that it would meet on June 24 to consider draft terms of reference and the process for appointing evidence leaders. It noted that the deadline for filing a notice to oppose the interdict is June 19.
The latest development follows Ramaphosa's urgent court application filed on June 12 seeking to halt Parliament's impeachment proceedings while he challenges the findings of an independent panel report into the Phala Phala affair.
In court papers, Ramaphosa argued that the proceedings should be suspended pending a judicial review of the report. He said that even if only part of the impeachment process were allowed to proceed before the report's validity is determined, "substantial harm will already have been done."
The president launched a separate legal challenge on May 26, asking the Western Cape High Court to review and set aside the independent panel's findings.
The impeachment process was revived after South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled last month that Parliament had acted unlawfully when it rejected the panel's report in 2022.
The Phala Phala case stems from the alleged theft of approximately 580,000 U.S. dollars in cash from Ramaphosa's private game farm in Limpopo Province in 2020. The incident triggered questions over whether the money had been properly declared to authorities.
An independent panel chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo concluded in a 2022 report that there was prima facie evidence suggesting Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct in connection with the matter.
In December 2022, however, the National Assembly, where the ruling African National Congress held a majority, voted against adopting the report and pursuing impeachment proceedings. ■